ByteDance Expands US AI Team with Major Hiring Push Amid Global AI Race
February 19, 2026
ByteDance is expanding its US AI team, advertising nearly 100 open roles for Seed, its AI division established in 2023 with labs in the US, Singapore, and China.
Hiring is concentrated in San Jose, Los Angeles, and Seattle, with Seed Edge Research Initiative pursuing general intelligence models.
The recruitment spans multiple high-tech hubs across the United States, signaling a broad expansion of ByteDance's AI capabilities.
The company says it respects intellectual property and is strengthening safeguards to prevent unauthorized use of IP and likenesses, aligning with its push into multimodal AI and video generation.
Industry context includes OpenAI's Sora for text-to-video and platforms like Meta and Pinterest updating feeds to distinguish human-created from AI-generated content, underscoring transparency efforts.
The expansion unfolds amid regulatory and ethical considerations around employment, privacy, fairness, and IP protection as AI accelerates across sectors like healthcare and finance.
The US and global AI race is intensifying amid concerns about China’s capabilities and geopolitical implications, with lawmakers warning of potential shifts in AI leadership.
ByteDance signals its intent to compete with leading US AI firms despite regulatory and political scrutiny in the United States.
Industry context notes parallel AI investments in life sciences and therapeutics by OpenAI, Anthropic, and others.
ByteDance’s broader AI strategy includes Seedream 5.0 and related tools, emphasizing multimodal generation and large-scale model training infrastructure.
Seed Edge Research Initiative aims to develop general intelligence with human-like learning, interaction, and tool-use capabilities.
The core news is the hiring push, with sponsor-heavy Techmeme layout accompanying the article.
Summary based on 8 sources
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Sources

ST • Feb 20, 2026
TikTok owner ByteDance hiring for AI team in US
The Mercury News • Feb 19, 2026
ByteDance building out artificial intelligence team in US
Silicon Republic • Feb 20, 2026
China's ByteDance to expand US-based AI teams
WinBuzzer • Feb 20, 2026
ByteDance Launches 100-Role US AI Hiring Push Despite Scrutiny